thoughts of an ordinary indian

For an incomplete definition of art click here. For a complete and simple explanation, read on….

For any act, formation, gesture or object to qualify as a work of art, it must achieve one of the three conditions –

it must be authentic, new, even if it builds a new construct by destroying an old one
it must strum emotional sensations in the human mind
it must add to the wealth, repertoire and richness of the human experience

There is no good or bad art, only art and non-art. It is art if it passes the litmus test of conditions above.

And once it qualifies as art, it transcends from being its creator’s property to being collective legacy of the human race, and the artist a universal citizen.

I saw Guide in early 1966 as a 12 year old. At that tender age it was obviously not possible to fully understand and fathom the theme. I enjoyed the songs and liked the story. The only thing that disappointed me was its tragic end. Till the very end I kept on wishing that Raju & Rosie re-unite and end up to live ‘forever’ as a loving couple. Understandably, as a teenager, it was not possible to come to terms with such an end where the hero succumbs due to a fast unto death – a fast undertaken under social pressure to appease the Rain Gods in a drought stricken cluster of villages. Between 1968 & 2008 I have seen the movie umpteen times. The more I saw the more I could realize the real worth of this precious jewel in celluloid. I never felt I was watching something old and known. There was no sense of ennui since there were so many, henceforth hidden, treasures in the film which could be discovered and re – discovered with every subsequent viewing. I was thoroughly soaked in nostalgia because the film brought back vivid memories of my childhood every time.

I subsequently gathered, in those times it was unthinkable that a ‘married heroine’ would desert her ‘husband’ and plunge into an adulterous relationship with an ‘unmarried hero’. I am told Waheeda took a very bold step in accepting the role which was a taboo in those days. She acted so well that it silenced her critics. That was a turning point in the contemporary Indian Cinema.

The film is based upon a novel written by R.K.Narayan in 1958 the rights of which were procured by Dev Anand. An English version of the plot was written by Pearl S.Buck and made into an English movie directed and produced by Tad Danielewski. The movie miserably flopped at the box office causing huge financial losses to its makers. Despite this fact Dev Sahib mustered real courage and decided to go ahead with the Hindi version directed by Vijay Anand – his younger brother nicknamed ‘Goldie’. It was a bold decision which only Dev Sahib could take. I appreciate his vision and foresight. It ultimately paid rich dividends. In the process a masterpiece – an exquisite jewel of the Indian Cinema – was created for us and the future generations – for eternity. The credit for its success largely goes to ‘Goldie’ who also wrote the screenplay. The film proved a turning point in his career. Every time I hear “Aaj phir jeene ki tamanna hail…..”, “Gaata Rahey Mera Dil …..”, ” Tere Mere Sapne Ab Ek Rang Hain ….”, I invariably begin reciting the timeless lyrics myself.

The songs ” Yahan Kaun Hai Tera ….” & ” Allah Megh Dey ….” have become virtual classics. Here was a Music Director – in S.D. Burman – who sang in his own voice. These songs merged with the theme in their totality.

Guide is probably among the best ever Indian movies produced. Some critics have rated it among the top ten. Time magazine rated it at Number Four in its list of Best Bollywood Classics during 2010.

Moving on implies a major and demonstrable diversion from the past. We have been in a time warp for sixty six years and it is time for India, its citizens and everything Indian to wake up…The wake up call comes from an experience calledAam Aadmi Party

AAP represents a shared and collective hope. Of freedom from exploitation, corruption and inequality.

When was the last time you admired your garden? Or like many of us you have been busy planting new seeds? We spend a large chunk of our lives adding and acquiring objects material. Then another chunk dusting and polishing our precious collection. When was the last time you enjoyed the bliss of your bounty? Or like many of us you don’t have time to pause and simply immerse in the warmth and richness of your surroundings.

If you and I enjoyed what we have, we would lose the desire to collect, acquire, own. We don’t live, we own. We dust things because we own them.

You don’t need to own the garden to enjoy its rejuvenating life force, colours, scents and all.

Our response to everyday problems is flawed. And this time our genes are to blame.After many many years of evolution, we are still driven by a primordial response to a problem.‘Fight’ or ‘Flee’.We allow our brains to perceive all problems as ‘threats’. The conversation goes like this:

Us – “oh no! oh my god! I have a problem”

Our brain – “You don’t worry. I know what to do with a threat when I sense one. I will go into a panic mode and send your body on an adrenalin overdose, blunt your comprehension, mess with your body mind balance, and send you up into the ozone hole”Us – ” but Mr. Brain, every problem is not a threat. Problems come in different shaped and sizes. Failures, traffic jams, missed opportunities, money loss. Do you understand?”Our brain – ” No I don’t. Do you?”Our brain plus wisdom – ” If you did, you would not think of all problems as threats. you would not follow the same cycle of fear, panic, fight or runaway. You understand the transience and weightlessness of a problem but you react as if this was your last minute on earth”Us – “Oh, then am I the problem?”.

Our brain is hard wired to react to a life-threat. But we can train it to use patience and not panic, to treat problems lightly, not as life threatening moments but as mere ‘situations’, some expected and some not.

How we react to a problem will determine whether we surmount the problem and get it out of the way or succumb to it and languish.

It is never too late to change. To improve, learn, amend something. There is always a better way of doing things, a shorter route to reach a goal or a more economical solution to a project. How can we expect to better an outcome if we close our minds and hearts and bodies to learning?

There was never a dearth of learning or never will be. Have we opened our senses to such hints and signs?

Form and content are so intricately linked to each other, it is unimaginable to see a good product if the content and it’s presentation are not balanced in a mutually complimentary way. A good product and good packaging. A good book and a good cover.Form and content are the same side of the coin.

Dreams are like clouds. Far away, yet very personal. Like clouds dreams have no beginning and no end. They are here now and not here another moment. They change form, from fairy like to menacing. They uplift, depress, frighten, give hope, bring flashes of great insight, churn souls. Dreams, like clouds can contain fluffy nothingness or a hundred fear dragons hiding behind bolts of lightening.Everyone has one private cloud. Like one dream. The problem is this cloud never remains the same. It is ever changing. Looming round the corner with a new unknown face.

Difference between good and great performance is this.When you do a task, a task gets done. Just that. A mere tick off the list. A contractual obligation delivered, to put it crudely. Expect no standing ovations. Meeting expectations is nothing great.However, when you accomplish a task with a touch of excellence, you over deliver, you set new standards, create new pathways, invent, innovate. You are super duper. In your own eyes and those of others.

That is the biggest joy no wealth can match. It stays with you forever.